Kingdom of Stars
by RedDragon009
Summary: "...Ancient tales tell of a land where, when a star falls, it turns into a human... that land is called Albion." Two members of a rebel group are caught, killed as an example to others. But their murderers don't know these girls are special. When they die in this life, they slide back in time to a land of myth and a time of magic... * Rated T Xx Read, enjoy & review xxx *
1. Prologue

**Hi guys! This is another Merlin story, cos I'm kinda obsessed with the show!**

**Anyhooo... read on & enjoy! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin (although I wish I did - how awesome would that be?!)**

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The storm raged through the country. Lightning flashed, thunder rumbled, winds howled like banshees. Rain poured down, the heavens wailing, turning the sky black. Dark grey clouds scurried across the skies, running from the tempest.

The young boy curled up to his mother, as lightning ripped the sky open. The room glowed with an eerie light, the candles flickering as a chill gust whistled down the chimney. She put her arm around him, pulling him closer.

"Will you tell me a story, mummy?" he shivered, cold and scared of the storm.

His mother smiled. "Okay darling. Which one do you want?"

"A different one. Not one of the usual ones, something… _exciting_!"

She paused for a moment, and then started.

"A long, long time ago, my grandmother told me this story. It's been passed down through our family for years, the origins lost in the mists of time. Legend has it, the druids told it to their children, and their children after them." she sighed. "I don't know. All I know, is this is how its been told:

Stars are like people. With the moon and the sun, they watch the earth, laughing at us, the humans, laughing at our antics. But the world is a tortured place. Barren, war-driven lands, scars across continents, un-healable wounds spanning the globe. Friendships ripped apart, families torn, love shattered. Hunger, famine, disease; victims crushed by pain and suffering. Whole civilisations have died out, unable to cope with the agony that haunts this war-ravaged planet. And every so often a star dies to, heart broken by the sights its seen.

These stars fall to earth, their lights fading with sadness. They become dull, lifeless rocks in this world. But ancient tales tell of a land where, when a star falls, it turns into an animal, a plant, even a human…" she broke off, seeing her son had drifted off to sleep. Carefully, she tucked a blanket around him. He was so young. So innocent.

"That land is called Albion."

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**Ta-da! So... did u like it? Make sure u all review, follow and favourite, cos if u do I'll give u virtual DOUGHNUTS!**

**And I'll only continue if u want me to...**

**RedDragon Xx :)**


	2. Rebel

**Hey, RedDragon here! Read on people...**

**WARNING: This chapter contains some violence and blood, so if you're squeamish, look away now!**

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London – 2113

World War Three had wiped everything out. There was no longer such a thing as 'countries', just dry, barren landscapes. Trees and plants were almost non-existent, the few that were left were leafless, gnarled and twisted. Water was polluted and stagnant, the cities that had once been great were now crumbling ruins, slowly dying out in the desert. The nuclear explosion had seen to that. Some technologies had advanced; some had fallen back drastically. Weapons now differed to computer-controlled, automatic, heat-sensing missiles, to primitive stone knives. Huge glass domes had been built around the last remaining cities to conserve oxygen, because the levels in the atmosphere had plunged dangerously low. The parties in charge had built huge machines to filter the gas, and to pump it into the domes. All the survivors had fled there; committed themselves to lives of paying taxes to breathe.

All the survivors except the rebel groups.

Small pockets of resistance had sprung up around the planet. They had taught themselves to survive with the amount of oxygen Outside, working against the troops to re-grow the trees. This was exactly what the leaders didn't want – all their profits came from collecting money made by taxing oxygen. The rebel groups knew this, and knew they were the only ones who could save the future. Although the Outlands were dangerous, they were devoted to their cause, to bring back the green planet.

* * *

The two girls edged up to the cover of the cracked wall. Although they looked nothing alike – one shorter with dark reddish-brown hair and startling red eyes; the other tall and fair, bright blue eyes and white-blonde hair – they were twins, and the bond between them was almost unbreakable. Each carried a gun: the smaller a submachine gun, the taller an AK-47. Both standard-issue resistance weapons.

"Come out with your hands up. Resistance is futile." a harsh grating voice pierced through the wall.

"How many?" whispered Jennifer, the taller.

Her twin, Fiammetta peered through a crack in the wall. "I'd say fifty soldiers. Maybe more."

"Too many to take on," Jenny bit her lip.

"And I'm almost out of ammo," Fia added.

The voice broke through the wall again. "You have five seconds before we open fire."

The girls looked at each other. "Run."

As they broke cover, the wall exploded behind them. Fia ducked, rolling across the floor to avoid the spray of bullets and flying shards of stone. Jenny, too, dropped into a shoulder roll. A second earlier and the two would have escaped unharmed. As it was, she stumbled, falling straight into the path of a stray bullet. She felt it thud into her back, tearing through her skin, and the burning pain it brought with it. As if in a dream, she fell to the floor, descending into a curious calm, accepting the fact she was about to die. Her gun clattered to the floor. Fia spun around. She forgot the men she was escaping from, all she cared about was her sister. She sunk to her knees next to her twin, wrapping her arms around her. As she hugged her, she realized Jenny's shirt was wet. She pulled her hand away, saw it covered in the red blood, saw it shaking, felt her eyes filling with tears, slowly lowering her sister to the floor, stroking the blood-spattered hair, picking up her sister's weapon, closing her eyes… and then feeling the rifle stabbing into her back.

Fia barely registered the voice telling her to stand and walk away from the body. All she knew was a fierce anger filling her soul. Slowly, she opened her eyes and found herself circled by guns.

"So. A young rebel." one of the men strode up to her. The commander, she guessed. "Name?"

In response, she stepped forward and punched him square in the face. He barely even flinched.

"A _violent_ young rebel, I see." he grinned. "Well, we all know violence is rewarded with violence." The other men laughed cruelly. He raised a fist and punched her in the chin. The sheer force of his hand colliding with her jaw snapped her head back with a sickening crack. The men laughed again. Her head thudded back onto her chest, and when she looked up again, blood dripped from her mouth.

"You killed my sister."

The general chuckled. "And now we're going to kill you, too."

"Go to hell." she sneered, raising the gun still hanging limply from her hand. She pulled the trigger and fired a single shot.

Straight into her heart.

* * *

The men turned, their job done, hopped into their jeeps and drove off in a cloud of dust. What they didn't see was the star falling from the heavens. Or the two girls shimmer and disappear.

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**So... what did you guys think? As u probably gathered, that was set in the future, so I don't actually know if anything like that will happen. Let's hope it doesn't! Remember to review, cos I love all the support u guys give me, and I give u virtual doughnuts if u review! :D**

**RedDragon Xx **


	3. Dead or Alive?

**Before we get on with the story, I wanna say THANKS to anyone who's already following this story! U guys r GREAT! Have loads of virtual doughnuts!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin or the knights, though if I did, I'd get loads of yummy free apples from Gwaine!**

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Darkling Woods, Camelot

Fia's eyes flickered open in the darkness. The first thought she registered was _I'm alive_. Her second thought: _Jenny_. She was overwhelmed by a sudden grief, _my sister's dead. Dead._ The word repeated itself over and over as the reality sank in. A single tear rolled down her cheek. _Dead_. She reached up and brushed the tear away. Growing up with the resistance had taught her one thing: crying didn't get you anywhere. She knew the Outlands were full of dangers at night, and she needed shelter for the night. She could cry when she was safe.

She sat up, gasping out as fresh pain flooded through her body. Her hand clamped to her chest, feeling the sticky blood coating her fingers. That didn't make sense. A wound like that would've killed her. As her eyes grew accustomed to the dim light, she saw something else that didn't make sense. Trees. All around her. For a brief moment, she wondered if she was dead, if this was the afterlife. But she knew it wasn't. The pain was too real. As were the groans coming from her right. Ignoring the throbbing wound, she forced herself onto her knees and crawled over to the noise. As she saw the girl struggling to sit up one word flashed into her head.

"Jenny!"

The two girls hugged fiercely, embracing until Jenny blacked out in her sister's arms. As her sister slipped into unconsciousness, Fia noticed a light flickering through the gloom. Listening carefully, she could just hear the sound of laughter, the crackling of flames. She forced the agony out of her mind, telling herself these people would save Jenny, and she would reach them – or die trying. As she picked her twin up from the ground, she noticed something strange. They were both wearing strange clothes – shirts and trousers from around the Middle Ages. But clothes didn't matter now. All that mattered was getting her sister to safety.

* * *

The knights laughed between themselves as Merlin served more stew.

"…And he never even thought about it again!" Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot, finished his story and the knights all laughed again.

"Come _on_, Merlin! How long does it take to serve a bowl of stew?" Sir Gwaine asked impatiently. "I could've served enough stew to feed an army in the time it takes you to serve a spoonful!"

"I don't think so, Gwaine," Sir Leon interrupted. "You would've eaten it all before the army could even blink!"

Merlin snorted, trying to suppress his laughter. "Well, at least he's not as greedy as Arthur! I had to put _another_ hole in his belt this morning!"

All the knights laughed again. Arthur threw his hunting glove at Merlin. "Don't _ever_ say that again, you clotpole!"

"That's my word!" Merlin and Gwaine burst out at the same moment.

"No, it's my word!" Merlin said indignantly.

"No, it's _my_ word!" Gwaine retorted.

"My word!"

"Whatever," Gwaine grinned as he produced an apple and bit into it with a satisfying crunch. Suddenly, Arthur pressed his finger to his lips.

"What?" Merlin demanded.

"Shhh – I can hear something." the king replied softly.

Gwaine unsheathed his sword, the apple falling to the floor and rolling away through the dust. The knights were silent. And then the girl staggered into the clearing, the limp body falling from her arms as she sank to her knees, a single word dying on her lips as she crumpled forward.

"Help…"

* * *

The star plummeted through the inky sky, its heart shattered by the sorrows of the world. The twinkling light faded, dying into darkness as the star crashed to the ground between the soaring trees of the Darkling Woods.

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**So... did u like it? Remember to review 2 tell me what u like and what u think should happen next! **

**RedDragon out Xx**


	4. Trees

**Hey guys! Next chapter coming up!**

**(Ps. I just wanna say a huge thanks to everyone who's supporting me, especially whatswiththemustache, who's reviewed, favourited ****_and_**** followed this book! Thanks so much! Xx)**

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The Citadel, Camelot

Fia's eyes snapped open. She sat up, wincing as her breath caught in her throat, the pain almost blinding her. It all came flooding back to her: the soldiers shooting, Jenny falling, the bullet thudding through her heart, then waking up in the forest, staggering into the camp, and the small things, like the scent of blood on Jenny's hair, the icy coldness of her skin, the crunch of pine needles beneath her feet, the flickering shadows cast by the fire, the warmth of the flames burning her face as she blacked out. And the pain. The burning pain through her heart from the second her twin was hit, and the bullet bursting through her own chest.

_Where am I?_ She looked around. She was in a large room, the walls draped with plush velvet. There was a huge stained-glass window on one of the walls, bathing the floors with red, green, blue lights. Moving slowly, she swung her legs out of the bed she was lying in and crossed the room, fumbling with the catch to open the window. She looked out across the rolling hills beyond. Trees. Everywhere, trees soaring above the earth, grand and majestic. Lush pastures, a carpet of green tumbling away in the valley, a small spire of smoke rising towards the heavens from the wood, a tiny silver brook sparkling in the sun, snaking away, in the distance, the peaks of snow-capped mountains. She caught her breath. A cool breeze rustled through the leafy branches, swirling her hair around her face as she breathed in, the air sweet and fresh. A bird warbled, a song of gladness and joy. Far below her was a courtyard of cobbled stone, rich smells rose from below, the sound of laughter, the babbling of voices rang out into the sky.

Suddenly, the heavy oak door behind her swung open. She spun around in surprise, her fists raised, only to be greeted with smiling face of a raven-haired young man.

"Who are you?" she asked, warily.

"I didn't know you were awake! I'm Merlin," he grinned kindly. "Who are you?"

She brushed the question off. "Where am I? And where's Jenny?"

"The other girl? She's next door – Gaius is treating her now. He's the court physician and my uncle…" he broke off as Fia coughed violently, blood staining her tunic. He ran over quickly, guiding her to a chair. "Here – drink this," he grabbed a small vial of liquid from a satchel on the table. "It should stop the coughing," he added when she looked at him distrustfully.

Fia glanced from bottle to boy. He looked nice enough, but she was a suspicious person by nature, so she set the vial aside, although she reasoned if they'd wanted to kill her, she'd be dead already. He sighed. "Drink it. Gaius said you have to."

She bit her lip. "Why should I trust you? I don't know anything about you. I don't even know what this place is."

Merlin walked back over to the window. He put his hands on the sill, staring out over the kingdom. He turned back to her. "This… this is Camelot."

"What, as in _the_ Camelot, the one with King Arthur and the round table?"

He nodded, smiling. "Yep, _the_ Camelot." he laughed at her shocked face. "In fact, you'll meet the king very soon. He wants to talk to one of you!"

"Not until I've seen my sister."

* * *

"Fia!" Jenny leapt up, running across the room and pulling her twin into a fierce hug. Merlin quickly excused himself, leaving them alone together.

Fia buried her face in Jenny's shirt. "Oh my god, Jenny. I thought you were dead!"

"I'm so sorry," she whispered as the pulled apart reluctantly.

"What for?" Fia looked genuinely puzzled.

"I… it's all my fault we're here."

Fia laughed. "Oh stop blaming yourself. And anyway, wherever we are, it's better than London."

Jenny shrugged. "But what I want to know is how we got here. From what I've worked out, we're in the Middle Ages!"

"Who cares? We're here, aren't we?" Fia dragged her sister over to the window in the corner of the room like an excited child and flung it open. "Have you seen the trees?"

Jenny smiled. She knew however they'd got here, it was a better place than the one they'd left, and somehow, miraculously, they were both alive. Her scientific mind knew there had to be a reason, but for now she didn't need to know it. All she wanted in that single moment was to be with her sister forever.

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**Yay! Another chapter coming up soon! *randomly hugs a tree***

**Review and be awesome, favourite and be epic, & follow and be awesome!**

**xxx**


	5. The Naiads

**Well hello there! Have a nice time reading the next chappie...**

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Camelot

A sliver of moonlight woke Jenny from her deep, dreamless sleep. It swept over her pillow, dancing around the dark room. Quietly, she slipped out from under the sheets. The stone floor cold as ice under her feet, she tiptoed to the window, flinging it open and breathing in the pure night air. She sighed as she stared out towards the looming mountains, the shadowy forest. _Why are we here?_ Fia, she knew, wouldn't be worrying about things like this. Jenny had an open heart, but her twin was more ready to expect the unexpected. She sighed again. Suddenly, she needed to be out of the castle, out in the fresh air, in the wilds, just her and the night.

A well-thrown stone at a deserted market stall was enough to get the two guards running from the gate. Smiling silently to herself, Jenny slipped out past the stone columns and into the trees. She was away, melting into the shadows of the trees.

The earth held its breath. The moon watched, bathing it in silvery light. Stars twinkled brightly, knowing that, however much suffering they saw, there would always be the moments where the world cupped the peace of the universe in both its hands. Unnoticed by the slumbering birds, Jenny slipped between the tall trunks. Only the stars watched her run silently across a sleeping glade, stop and kneel by the ripples of a brook, laugh at her reflection in the water. Only the stars watched the silvery hand slip out of the water.

Jenny jumped, feeling a tap on her hand as she dabbled it in the stream. She gasped as she looked down, seeing the small hand grasp her own. "What on earth…" and then "I'm dreaming… I must be dreaming…" as more and more hands appeared, grasping at her wrist. She slapped each one away, only to have it replaced by more. "Get off me! Ouch! Get off!" She tried to pull away, only to find she was stuck fast in the vice-like grips. By now, her heart was pounding. She was scared. "Help! Somebody help me!" but the forest didn't reply, and the moon and stars sang the song the world knew meant death. The cold hands piled up on her wrist, pulling her towards them. She scrabbled at the grass, her feet pushing backwards and her eyes widening in terror as the mud crumbled beneath her feet…

And then she was in; the icy water turning her limbs to stone, her mouth filling with water as she tried to scream, the rocky bed grating against her shoulder blades as the current swept her downstream. She struggled violently, but the hands – now all over her – were too strong and she couldn't escape, and her lungs were bursting, and her throat was burning, and she closed her eyes, waiting for death to come.

But death never came.

Jenny coughed and spluttered as her rescuer pulled her to the surface, dragged her from the icy water to the bank. As she rolled onto her knees, spitting out the rest of the water, she heard a voice behind her, calm as summer's breeze, fierce as winter's gale. "I _know_ she's water, but her powers haven't been awakened yet! She's not ready!"

The words didn't make any sense, but Jenny turned, wanting to see who her saviour was. A girl, about her own age, stood there. She had golden hair, brushed back into waves that seemed to move in an imaginary wind, and stormy-grey eyes. She wore a loose-fitting golden tunic over pale grey leggings, with high boots in a darker shade, and a long purple cloak. She smiled at Jenny. "You alright?"

"Yeah." Jenny paused. "Thanks for saving my life."

The girl giggled, her voice pure as the heavens. "No problem. But the Naiads wouldn't have hurt you. They just… well you're water, so…"

"Umm… I think you're getting me confused with someone else. My name's Jenny, not Water."

"No, silly! You're water, as in the element. I'm air!"

Jenny laughed. "You're not serious, are you?"

The girl sighed, exasperated. "Look, if you don't believe me, watch this." She put her hand out and her eyes flashed amethyst. Jenny gasped as a tiny tornado whirled across her palm.

"What the… How do you do that?" she exclaimed.

"It's simple Air Magic. You won't be able to do it – it's not your element – but when you're power's awakened, Water Magic will be yours to command!"

"But… what… I…"

"Come with me." the girl held out her hand. "And I'll show you all the wonders of this world."

* * *

The two girls, one fair, one dark, slipped from the clearing, from their campfire, into the cover of the trees.

"What happened?" the dark haired asked, anxiously.

"I took water to the Kraken for her awakening. She's with us now, but we still need fire."

"And the star?"

"I don't know. All I know is we have to find her before she falls into the wrong hands."

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**Yay! The 5th chapter all done and dusted! Remember to press the nice little button and favourite/follow this! Oh yeah - review as well, coz reviews make me HAPPY (!) and I love hearing what you guys think! :D Next one up soon!**

**xxx**


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